Why I like the Governance of Shri Narendra Modi.

There is a lot of change happening in India on many fronts.... the atmosphere is very dynamic..... India will be totally transformed in another 5-10 years, for the better. 

The reason, of course is Mr. Modi & his close team of ministers & bureaucrats. When they came to power in 2014, being confident of victory & a full majority, Modi & Amit Shah had handpicked people, conveyed the important ministries they were to be assigned & asked them to be ready to handle their responsibilities from day one. And they did. Next came the team of bureaucrats many of whom he had worked with earlier & who had delivered. Modi himself is a workaholic, working almost 24x7 since the last three years without a break. He is driven like a man on a mission.

Modi has a knack of ferreting out effective, knowledgeable, honest & hardworking people and placing them at the helm of important institutions. He also has a knack for finding economic solutions locally whichever part of India he visits like tourism in Kutch & fashion technology institutes/industry & tourism in the seven North eastern states. On his visits abroad he is always on the look-out for innovative technology which can be applied in India, trade & investments, exchange of technology & collaborations. He does not take political sides, instead concentrates on mutually beneficial trade. Something like "you are me friend, your enemy is also my friend & I have nothing to do with the enmity between the two of you." So doors open for him as in Israel. He looks not only to import (which India was doing so far) but also at what India can export, almost like the barter system of olden times. His Make in India campaign is directed at making India self-dependent, as also cutting costs in the long run, aiming to manufacture & export some of these at a later stage. This will not only be beneficial financially, but also generate employment in India. 

Simultaneously, he is concentrating on generating employment for those who are unable to pursue studies. His Skill India Mission  & the Ministry of Skill Development  are going to ensure financial security for people from this sector. He has done away with some redundant Govt. subsidies & introduced new ones for the poor, the farmers, the underprivileged castes. He has also introduced insurance schemes for them at extremely low premium. 

He encourages digging of wells & ponds in rural areas with the help of NGO's & locals, rather than investing time & money in building dams which takes years to come to fruition. His Govt. has come down heavily on meat exporters & their illegal slaughter houses (India is the 2nd largest exporter of meat), who were taking away prime cattle in bulk from cattle melas for slaughter, depriving the farmers who had come to purchase them & actually needed them alive. That this issue has taken a religious & sometimes heinous hue is another matter which needs to be urgently addressed, but sometimes drastic steps such as ban on cow slaughter are required.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley has reduced the income tax rates for the service class & compelled the traders to pay taxes by introducing GST. Since years the service class & Govt. employees were compensating for the non-payment of taxes by small traders& others, by paying higher taxes. By introducing e-commerce he has ensured that all those not paying income tax are brought into the net (most small traders have not been paying any taxes at all). Also, the professionals - lawyers, doctors, Chartered accountants were under-declaring their income; same with the affluent - the industrialists, stock brokers, diamond merchants, film stars & producers.... His Govt. has introduced & passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 bill, increasing the powers of the RBI to prosecute all the big industrialists who were not repaying bank loans of thousands of crores of rupees. He has really woken them up with a jolt & sent them into a tizzy. They are no longer a pampered lot getting political patronage. At the same time he encourages & gives concessions to those of them who intend to do constructive business honestly.

Modi has taken personal interest in alleviating social evils like open defecation, encouraged cleanliness, hygiene, protecting the girl child. These issues are of a huge scale & will take some time to come into effect, but the process is under way. People's participation & cooperation are a must here. The best part about this Govt. is that it encourages people's participation. It invites suggestions in every sphere via social media & even by way of letters. Emails, twitter a/cs for sending suggestions are publicised & the good ideas are implemented. Their style of functioning is totally un-autocratic, which is so unlike that of the other Govt.s.

The National Highways & Ports Ministry has been given massive funds & the independence to construct highways connecting the whole country, especially in so far neglected areas like the Northeast, connecting them to ports, which are also being developed. Related activities like construction of warehouses near ports & providing affordable housing are also being undertaken. Also connectivity & alternative means of transportation like over-ground & underground metros, connecting different areas of Greater Mumbai etc. via sea links are also in the pipeline.

This Govt. has been completing projects & bringing Govt. schemes to fruition, which were languishing during the previous Governments tenure, besides starting new ones. Making the Adhaar card (which is based on finger prints) popular & mandatory has brought about two major effects - one it has given an identity & rights to the poorest of poor in respect of banking, Govt. subsidies & benefits etc. & secondly it has thwarted the nefarious designs of the rich who were using multiple PAN cards while paying Income tax & purchasing real estate. Also it is a very good tool for the Govt. for tracing & tracking financial transactions.

Although the Govt. does not seem actively involved in this, yet we are seeing a spurt in organ donations, maybe because a system has been put in place which is facilitating this - like creating a green corridor for an ambulance carrying the organs or donor/donee, providing drones for carrying organs from one city to another etc. also establishment of a nodal agency where organs can be pledged, donated, received, as also consultations with helpful doctors in this regard. Mother's milk banks are also helping to control child mortality. Also Stem cell banks. Scientific research & development is being encouraged.

Pipelines for domestic gas consumption in metros & larger cities instead of gas cylinders are in use & more are being laid. The rural women are being provided gas connections/cylinders instead of chullas. Pay & use toilets are everywhere, especially next to slums & railway stations. The poor are getting subsidies directly into their bank a/cs, so they are protected from being pilfered by middlemen.

One no longer has to stand for ages in long queues for railway tickets & local passes, since it can be done online or through cards at ATVM machines at the station. Most of us shop online for grocery, clothes, electronic items..... insurance, banking needs. Online payment of Customs duty, Excise duty, taxes have been made compulsory, which is a big relief for us bankers (we were handling Govt. business & collection of taxes/duties). 

Apps are constantly being developed for everything possible & our PM is very tech-savvy. It encourages others of a similar age & background to follow suit.

Much of this is a way of life for developed countries, you will say, but the pace at which this is being adopted in India is very fast - just about 3 years. That is why it is such a drastic but welcome change. Today even the illiterate, the blind, the beggars, the labour class, the maids are using cell phones. 

The next big change will be evident in the scenario in Kashmir.... it has already begun. For the first time the Govt., media, security agencies, the National Investigation Agency, the Bureaucrats & Diplomats, the foot soldiers of the BJP, the common people..... all are are working in tandem & in an atmosphere of cooperation instead of secrecy & withholding information as in earlier Governments. Our External Affairs minister - Mrs. Sushma Swaraj is also very pro-active and efficient, despite her recent indisposition. It changes people's attitude to work and commands our respect.

Shri Narendra Modi's team is much admired for its integrity, honesty, hard work, awareness, knowledge, being receptive to fresh ideas and for their kuch kar ke jayenge attitude for the betterment of India & its people. They are setting a very good example for all Indians. It is evident in the increase of the number of youth, retired people, NRI's who have taken to social work in India.

There is no stopping Mr. Modi & BJP from winning another term in 2019.... 

Its well deserved too!

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These are my views as a lay Indian. I am unaffiliated to any party, political or social group. I believe religion, caste, class, gender, attitudes are barriers to humanity.